CURATORIAL STATEMENT

BUCHAREST INTERNATIONAL DANCE FILM FESTIVAL '17

THE AGE OF THE STRANGE

The ever more troubling context of a world in crisis makes us question the authenticity of our everyday life. Contradiction and fragility become thus vectors in our daily trajectory. Bucharest International Dance Film Festival has reached its 3rd edition in a year that forced us to rethink the context we live in after witnessing or even participating in massively disruptive local and international socio-political events.

The Age of the Strange is the concept under which the festival gathers a series of events that propose a return to the natural, seeking for “techno-surrealist” forms of expression.

The 35 shorts presented in the festival – 20 in the international competition, 7 in the national competition and 8 in the Midnight Specials series – explore, among others, the notion of freedom and its limitations, the informational system and the return to a form of intuitive thinking, the retracing of veneration, in a world that inhibits emotion, and the will to reach perfection.

This year we reveal strong artistic personalities, whose work and life revolve around risky initiatives. The feature film The Dancer reminds us of a past in which artistic experiment meant personal sacrifice. Through the documentary WIM we discover the passion and perseverance of Wim Vandekeybus, the choreographer that established one of the most loved dance companies in Europe - Ultima Vez. Alex Mirutziu exhibits the uncertain dimensions that shape up meaning and juggles between what is said and unsaid. Sharon Fridman Company guides us on a journey of survival and escape through dance.

This edition we build a bridge between an uncertain past and a probable future.